This invention relates to a third hand for a flashlight or the like, particularly for adjustably holding the flashlight in a selected one of a plurality of positions and orientations, relieving the hands.
Mechanics, installers, repairpersons and the like commonly have the need to apply portable lighting to their work and, particularly, to aim a beam of light, such as from a flashlight, on a particular portion of the work while the hands remain free to perform operations on the work or to hold tools. It is therefore often desired to adjustably and temporarily fix the flashlight or other light source in space at a particular location and orientation. However, the light must be attached to or rest upon something if it is not held by the worker""s hand, and it is not generally the case that the work or site has a specialized provision for this purpose.
A common but inconvenient solution to this problem is for the worker to hold the butt of the flashlight in his or her mouth. A variation on this concept is exemplified by Sedlock, U.S. Pat. No. 3,418,461, wherein a bracket is provided on the flashlight having a mouthpiece for clenching between the user""s teeth.
Bacevius, U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,498, provides a clamp housing, one end of which is adapted to receive a flashlight or lantern and the other end of which defines a clamping jaw, and a complementary movable jaw biased with a spring means. The span opening or distance between the gripping jaws can be adjusted for clamping onto surfaces having variable cross sectional shapes. While it is asserted that a wide range of jaw opening is provided, the range of suitable supports remains limited. Moreover, angular adjustment of the direction of the light is also limited in range as well as being limited to one axis.
Thul, U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,768, provides an arcuate track that is mountable with suction cups to a supporting surface. A flashlight is strapped to the track at a selected location and, therefore, inclination. A drawback of the device is that varying the inclination requires two hands for manipulating the strap. Another drawback is that, without removing the suction cups from the support surface, the inclination is adjustable only about one axis. Yet another drawback is that a support surface sufficiently flat and large to receive widely spaced-apart suction cups is required.
Van Gennep, U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,329, provides a clamping pliers carrying a ball and socket joint for a flashlight holder. A disadvantage of clamping pliers is that they are generally limited to clamping onto objects that can be gripped with a relatively small jaw opening, and may cause damage to some of objects, particularly if misadjusted.
King, U.S. Pat. No. 3,325,639, provides a base for a high-intensity light. The base includes a suction cup having a magnet secured therein, providing a choice between magnetic and suction mounting. A ball and socket joint is proposed for connecting a pivoting arm of the light to the base. While providing additional flexibility in mounting and movement, the device requires a surface suitable for receiving the magnet or the suction cup, as there are no alternative provisions for supporting the light.
Accordingly, there is a need for a third hand for a flashlight that provides for attachment to, or stabilization upon, a wide variety and range of support objects and surfaces, and provides a wide range of positional and directional adjustability obtained with a minimum of repositioning.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems and meets the aforementioned needs by providing a third hand for a flashlight comprising a flashlight holder adapted for receiving the flashlight that includes provision for stabilizing the flashlight loosely on a support surface or temporarily and releasably attaching the flashlight to a support surface or object. The flashlight holder is pivotally connected through a first swivel joint to an elongate joint arm at one end thereof, and a mounting mechanism is pivotally connected through a second swivel joint to the joint arm at the other end thereof. The mounting mechanism comprises a variety of attachment devices including a suction cup, a magnet and a threaded member. The flashlight holder comprises a plurality of stabilizing devices including one or more pivotally connected leg members.
Preferably, the back surface of the suction cup is spring biased against the end of the mounting mechanism, and the end of the mounting mechanism is adapted to bear against the back surface at points spaced along the outer periphery thereof, to provide maximum stiffness in the joint formed between the mounting mechanism and the flexible suction cup.
Preferably, the joint arm is provided in portions that are coupled together with a third swivel joint, providing 360 degree relative rotation of the portions about a selected axis. Preferably, the third swivel joint is, and more preferably, all the swivel joints are provided with a self-locking or xe2x80x9cratchetxe2x80x9d feature that can be overcome with a predetermined amount of torque.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel third hand for a flashlight.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a third hand for a flashlight that provides attachment to, or stabilization upon, a wide variety and range of support objects and surfaces.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a third hand for a flashlight that provides a wide range of positional and directional adjustability.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a third hand for a flashlight that provides a wide range of positional and directional adjustability with a minimum of repositioning.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the following drawings.